


A Needed Embrace

by aizu_fox



Category: Rurouni Kenshin
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-23
Updated: 2016-05-23
Packaged: 2018-06-10 05:01:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6940876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aizu_fox/pseuds/aizu_fox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after the battle with Shishio and before the return to Tokyo. After healing everyone's wounds, Megumi finds herself trying to put her own feelings in order.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Needed Embrace

It was midday at the Shirobeko and Megumi Takani was in full doctor mode. She strode from room to room, checking on the group of warriors for almost the thousandth time in about a month. The fight with Shishio was over, but Kenshin was just now getting out of the woods and Yahiko's back had developed a small infection that was slowly healing from the salve she had applied every morning and evening. Kaoru was back on her feet and impressively helping Megumi hold up against a constantly wailing Misao – which was more from Aoshi's departure and not from the several broken ribs she had sustained---and Omasu and Okon had recovered from their wounds quickly and had practically turned the upper floor of the restaurant into a mini-Aoiya resort and hospital wing. Sae, of course, was more than happy to play hostess and gave them plenty of room until the new inn could be completely repaired. 

Smiling somewhat awkwardly at the sight of Kenshin and Kaoru engaged in a game of Shogi while Okon not-so-subtly asked an “oro”-ing Kenshin questions about Hiko, the doctor walked down to the door where her most temperamental patient lazily sprawled on a futon covered with Western-style pillows and nonchalantly fussed with a pair of chopsticks in his left hand. Seeing her enter, he dropped them and gave her a disarming grin.

“Well, how's the hand?” Megumi inquired, kneeling on the side of the futon and motioning Sano to move over. 

“Better now. Nice work.” He winked at her and, as much as she tried not to, she smiled and rolled her eyes. 

“Well, I must say, in all my years in medicine I've never saw anything like it. You're lucky I still had a hand TO bandage.”

“Impressed, huh?”

“Sanosuke Sagara, doctors don't get 'impressed' at their patient's injuries. Honestly.”

“You should have seen me fight though,” the ex-brawler said enthusiastically, jumping into a sitting position on the futon. “When I'm out of bandages, I've gotta show you. I can--”

“Are you insane? I don't see you out of these bandages for a good long while! Given the rest of your injuries, I'm surprised you were even able to carry Ken-san back.”

“Well, I wasn't gonna just leave him there.”

“Of course not, but no more punching for awhile. Of any kind.”

“Aw, c'mon!”

“No! The bones in your hand were completely crushed and the muscles were all but shredded. That doesn't heal overnight.”

“C'mon, kitsune! It's not---”

“ARE YOU THREE?”

Sano shrugged and put out his tongue at Megumi, earning him another roll of the eyes. Then he humored her with some peace and quiet as he watched the young physican slowly wrap the linen bandages around his wrist and fingers after discarding the old ones. In what seemed like seconds, she had unwrapped his hand, washed the skin, applied a stinging disinfectant, then a salve, gently massaged his bones to check on the healing, and begun to wrap him again. Sano's heart clenched looking at Megumi. She looked exhausted. Despite the smoothness of her skin, small worry lines had been set in for what Sano assumed had been a good long while. Probably since his fight with Saito and Kenshin's departure for Kyoto. Half circles darkened the skin beneath her eyes, which were red from lack of sleep. She had foregone her usual beauty routine for the past few days as her only priority was everyone else and not a single trace of powder or lipstick grazed her face. Sano admitted to himself that he preferred her that way—she didn't need that stuff.

“Alright,” Megumi said, finally. “That should do it. For now, I am going to keep checking on your hand every day to make sure the bones are still setting properly. If they don't because you won't listen to me, I will have no choice but to re-break them to set them again...” She broke off with a wry smile as Sano winced. “I am sure it won't come to that, but that is why it is so important to take care of yourself and not exert your hand, especially for the next few weeks.”

“Anything for the fox doc,” Sano replied idly, stretching his arms over his head with a yawn.   
The restaurant had gotten awfully quiet for the midday and it was likely that everyone was resting in one way or another trying to refuel from the grueling last two months. 

“Okay, good.” Megumi gathered her supplies and looked as though she was about to stand when Sano suddenly sat up to meet her face from his nest of pillows. 

“Hey, how are you holding up?” He asked her, brown eyes tenderly seeking an answer from her face.

Megumi's red mouth dropped open for a minute, surprised at the question and not exactly sure what to tell him. In all honesty, she was dead on her feet and hadn't gotten a truly good night's rest since the day Saito had made his appearance and left blood from both Kenshin and Sano splattered though the dojo. The trip from Tokyo to Kyoto had been nightmarish as she prepared herself to expect the worst once she got there. Once the train pulled from the station, Megumi had been overcome by a series of panic attacks wondering if she would make it to Kyoto and find all of her friends dead, once again losing a family she loved. On top of that, the days since she had been at the Aoiya were blending together as she lost herself in syringes, linen cloth, salves, blood, stitching needles, fevers, broken bones, and bowl after bowl of hot disinfecting water, wondering when and if Kenshin would finally open his eyes. Seeing Aoshi Shinomori again was a shock to her system and caused her to wake up in a cold sweat that night, dreaming of Kanryuu again, even though the ninja had already left for the temple. It would be awhile before she could easily rest in his presence. Then there was the raging battle in her heart whenever she saw Kaoru with Kenshin as she struggled to sort her feelings out and the bothersome feeling she got whenever she was around Sano.

“Come here, doc.” Sano said, extending his arm towards the young doctor, lost in her thoughts.

“Hm, what?” 

Megumi barely had time to process her shock before she felt the warm, comforting embrace of Sano's arm around her shoulders. She felt her insides turn hot, then cold, and, finally, a pinprick sensation spread from her abdomen to the tips of her fingers. Despite the warmth of the gesture, Megumi was so startled that she went rigid in his arms. Sanosuke relaxed his grip on her to reassure her that she could slip away at any time. He was acutely aware of how much physically stronger than her he was, how exhausted she must feel, and suddenly became very, very determined not to hurt her in any way.   
Wrought with guilty thoughts, Sano suddenly dropped his arm from Megumi's shoulders. 

“I...thought you could use it..”

“Oh?”

“I...I'm sorry fox.”

“What for?” 

It was then that Sano noticed Megumi's arms had snaked around his back and were returning the embrace. Her body relaxed against him and she allowed herself to close her eyes. Her body became less tense, and, from underneath the silk of her smock and kimono, Sano felt Megumi's shoulders drop. 

“You...okay?”

Megumi nodded, feeling an odd mix of euphoria and fatigue wash over her. She could barely remember the last time someone had reached out to her in a tender, affectionate manner. It must have been over ten years ago when her family was still with her. She hadn't let anyone get too close to her in the lonely years since and all of her attempts to show Kenshin her feelings were strictly one-sided. Despite his unerring politeness, it was clear to Megumi that the kind swordsman showed no such affection for her. Now that Sano held her gently, Megumi felt, more than anything, how necessary this was. A needed embrace from someone who cared about her.

“Sano...”

“I swear I'll let you go if you want” 

“No.”

“No, huh?”

“Absolutely not, rooster.”

“Okay.” There was a touch of surprise in his voice. Very slowly, in order to show her that no ulterior motive was planned, Sano embraced Megumi gently as he lowered himself back down so that he lay in a propped position on his futon again. He held her somewhat awkwardly, but it was clear she didn't mind.

This feels so good , Megumi thought, a smile beginning to shadow her face. She told herself that it was only that she was tired and needed a rest as she listened to Sano's heartbeat in his chest, mentally calculating the number of beats. They finally sounded normal again and not frantic as they did when his body fought to replenish his strength after so much blood loss. When she laid a hand on his arm and shifted her head, some of her hair came loose from its scarf and fell on his chest, tickling it. It was then that Megumi swore she heard a series of palpitations.

“Are you okay?” she asked, a tiny smile gracing her lips. Her eyelids were getting dangerously heavy.

“Yeah, yeah,” Sano replied. “Don't worry about me. Maybe you should get some rest, huh?”

“Mm,” Megumi replied, closing her eyes. “I... should.”

She knew Sano was expecting her to leave the room and head to her own, but she stayed against him, relishing the feeling of someone caring for her in what seemed like forever. Sano, although delighted at the feeling of the pretty Megumi in his arms had not yet picked up on the fact that she had chosen to stay with him to nap.

“Uh, fox...,” Sano said nudging her gently. A very light snore from Megumi was heard. Again, he tapped her shoulder. “Foxy?”

Suddenly Megumi's hand reached up and tugged on his hair, the only part of his body that wasn't injured. 

“Sanosuke!”

“OW!”

“You wanted me to rest, so I'm resting!” the physican said, fox ears and tail twitching irritably, “Now will you shut up? Can I get at least one nap in after waiting on your obnoxious self for three weeks?!”

“Alright, damn!” Sano grumbled. 

He reached over and wrapped his other arm around Megumi's waist, so that she was securely on the futon. Once she was, he grabbed an extra blanket Omasu had laid out for him earlier and tossed it around her shoulders. Within minutes, he had fallen asleep, Megumi securely bundled against him. 

Before she fell asleep, Megumi looked up at Sano for a good long, trying in vain to sort out the feelings suddenly tangling up in her heart. 

I don't want to take just any affection that's given to me to try and replace what I felt for Ken-san...

Sano sighed slightly and shifted in his sleep. Unconsciously, he tightened his grip on Megumi, making sure she was still there.

...but I don't think I am. I think...I think that now, I would rather be here with Sanosuke than anywhere. 

Suddenly it dawned on Megumi what had been so bothersome to her. The thoughts had started out small after she and Sano met and grown quickly, but then faded in and out whenever she had thought about Kenshin. She settled her feelings for the rurouni once he left for Kyoto, but the other emotions that kept stirring... that she had tried to ignore---came though with a vengence. Try as she might, she couldn't get them out of her head.

Impossible! 

The thoughts and emotions took her hostage and began to scream at her. Internally, Megumi resigned herself to it. They were right and had been now for a very long time.  
No, it's not impossible. I have feelings for Sanosuke and...I might just be falling in love with him.

An unexplicable impression rose up inside Megumi as she pondered this. 

What in the world do I do now? 

“Oy, kitsune...”

“What?” 

Megumi's head jerked up grumpily at being interrupted from her thoughts only to be gently flicked on her forehead and then pressed back down into Sano's shoulder.

“That hurt, you baka!”

“Stop thinkin' and go to sleep.”

“Now that's advice I'll never have to give you,” Megumi grumbled as she finally closed her eyes.

For now, I'll be here. Maybe with him...maybe with Sanosuke I can finally rest.


End file.
